Tobacco-stemming machine



9, l93. H. wElGANn E'rAl. v A1,775,378

TOBCCO STEIIING IACHIN Find June 22, 1927 '1 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 9 1930. H. wElGA-ND ET AL 'roAcco sTEluINa melun:

Filed June 22. 1927 vangen-sheet 2 Vw ma ,if sta?" Sept. 9i 1930.v H l'wElGAND Er Ay. K 4 1,775,378

'roBAcco s'rEuuING MACHINE abtoonaijo Sept. 9, ,1930;

H. wElGAND Er Ax. 1,775,378 f 'roAcco summe cams 7 sheets-sheet 4 Filed June 22, 1927 wif/nwo f 9- www Sept. 9, 1930. H. wlGANb l-.T'AL

roAcco swam@ ncnpnll 7 Sheetsf-Sheet Filed June 22, 1927 Sept. 9, 1930. Hf wElGAND Er Au 'roAcco sTEuuI'NG uAcHIus 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed June `22. 1927 Vw Clttowup Patented Sept. Y9, 193() UNITI-:n i STATES sYLvANIA, AssIGNoRs To `PENN TOBACCO COMPANY, or sYLvANIA, A conronArIoNor1 PENNSYLVANIA PATENT OFFICE;

HENRY WEIGAND, oF wILKEs-BARBE, AND osCARn. sCIIoBnRT, or PITTs'IoN, PENN# i j WInKEs-BANRE, PENN;

ToBACCo-sTEMMING MACHINE Application me@ June `22,

`The invention relates to machines for rethe leaf bodies and hence causing waste.` It

is one obj ect of the presentiinvention however, toprovide an improved stemming "maf chine, in which the portions ofthe leafbodies along the butt endsof `the stems, are removed by` novel Imeans prior to engagementrof said butt ends with the stem-pulling means. Thus, not only may a saving beeffected, but the stem butts are exposed and hence prepared for easy positioning` in the leaf stripping knives or the like. Y 4

The stem-pulling means vcommonly embodies driven 'yieldably mounted rollersfor gripping the stems and pulling them through the stripping means. These rollers are parallel with the line on which thevleaves are fed by the machine and they are provided with taperedfends .t'o` facilitate engagement of the stems therewith. The stem butts however. often do not enter between the rollers and hence troublev is caused and numerous iin-stemmed leaves must be thrown aside for lsa repassage through the lmachine or to be stemmed in some' other Way. A further object 4is to providenovel means to facilitate f initial engagement of the stemvbutts withthe stem pul.ling.mean`s, thereby overcoming such difliculties as those above stated.V

Stemming machines ofthe type set forth embody acutter for severing the stems near their inner ends, `while saidlstems are being moved transversely ofy their own lengths by the stripping` means and in `the direction of said lengths by the stem pulling means. These cutters `are the sourceof f quite van amount of trouble and it is another of our objects to provide an improved cutter and one which is adjustably mounted ina unique 1927. serial N0. 200,679.

mannery to permit severing of the stemsat the desired points.-` j

While the stems are being pulled through the stripping means, they are commonly held in engagement with saidstripping means by a Vvertically"movable plate. The wear against the loweredge of this plate has been so as to make it short-lived, but we aim to make novel provision whereby such Wear `will not affect the plate but will be received by an edge of an auxiliary plate, the latter being so mounted that when one edge becomes badly worn, another edge may be presented for use, and whenboth edges are badly worn, another auxiliary plate may be substituted. f

VA still further aim is to'provide a stem-` ming machine which will be rather simple and inexpensive, easy and economical to opcrate, and unusually efficient. i

`With. the foregoing andminor objects in view, theinvention resides in the novelv sub`- ject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings. j l i Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a tobacco sternV ming machine constructed in accordance with our invention. i

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. j `Fig. 4 isalongitudinal sectional line eofFig; l.

view on Fig. 5 isa vertical transverse section sub-` i stantially on line 5-5 of Figs. 1,2 and 3. 1 Fig. 6 isan enlarged rear elevation partly broken away and in section, showing the means for removing the portions of the leaf j Figs". l0 and ll are respectively a sideele# vation and an edge view of oneuof the beater arms which are instrumental in cleaning portions of the leaf bodies from the stem butts.-

Fig. l2 is a transverse section on line 12-12 l of Fig. 1o. j

Fig. 13 is an enlarged rear elevation partly in section, of the stem pulling means, and the associated stem cutting means.

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section on line 14--14 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a transverse sectional view on line 15--15 of 13 and 14.

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 but showing a stem butt engaged with the pulling' means.

Figs. 17 and 18 are respectively a side elevation and an uppei` edge view of the main and auxiliary plates which hold the stems in engagement with the leaf stripping means.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of the stemcutting disk and its adjustable supporting means.

Fig. 2O is a perspective view of the spring device for forcing the stems into engagement with the cutting knives.

Figs. 21 and 22 are perspective views of opposite sides of portions of the chain belt oarrying the stripping knives.

A frame is shown embodying two longitudinal bars 20, legs 21, braces 22 and one or more transverse members such as 23, secured to the bars 20. Mounted longitudinally upon the frame, is a table 24 defining a path along which the leaves are fed transversely of their own lengths, with their butt ends disposed in one direction, a suitable gauge wall 25 being provided to assist in initially positioning these butt ends upon the table, as will be clear from the left hand end of Fig. 1.

An endless feed apron 26 is provided having its upper reach disposed on an upper front portion of the table 24, said apron being trained around a driven roller 27 near the center of the machine and an idle roller 28 near the inlet end of said machine. The bearings 29 for the roller 28 are provided with suitable adjusting means 30 whereby slack may be taken out of the apron when desired. mounted in appropriate bearings 32 and 33, bearing 32 being secured to the foremost of the bars 20, while bearing 33 is secured to one of a pair of upstanding standards 34 which have their lower ends attached to the rearmost bar 20, in any desired manner. Appropriately mounted on the other of these standards 34, is a sprocket 35 disposed at the rear edge of the apron 26, and a larger sprocket 36 of greater diameter than the roller 27, is secured upon the shaft 31 at the rear end of said roller 27. Trained around the two sprockets 35-36 and disposed at the rear edge of the apron 26, is a chain belt 37. Another chain belt 38 is positioned over the belt 37 and is driven at the same speed as the latter. Sprockets 39 and 39et areprovided for the belt 3S, said sprockets being secured to short shafts 40-41 rotatably mounted in appropriate bearings 42-43, secured to the standards 34. The shaft 41 of the sprocket 39 is adjustably mounted. as at 44 so that The roller 27 is secured to a. shaft 31 p slack may be removed from the belt 38, and similarly, a member 35a which is instrumental in mounting the sprocket 35 upon one of the standards 34, is adjustably connected with this standard as at 44", permitting the removal of slack from the lower belt 37. The shaft 40 is positioned above the shaft 31 and the two shafts are connected by gearing 45 so that the contiguous reaches of the belts 237-38, travel at uniform speed. This speed however is greater than the speed at which the belt 26 travels, due to the fact thatthe sprocket 36 is of greater diameter than the Vroller 27, said sprocket controlling the driving of both belts 37--33 whereas said roller drives the apron 26. This difference in speed between that of the apron 26 and that of Jthe belts 37-38, is instrumental in positioning the tobacco leaves obliquely of the table as shown in dotted lines in F l, for a. purpose to be hereinafter described.

The shaft 31 may be driven in any desired manner. We have shown a sprocket 46 on the front end of this shaft engaged with a chain 47 said chain being trainer around one of a pair of sprockets 48, the other of which is driven by a chain 49 and a sprocket 5() from a transverse shaft 51 mounted in appropriete bearings at the outlet end of the machine, a belt 52 and pulley 53 being show. for driving said shaft 51.

`The adjacent reaches of the chains 37--33, grip the butt ends of the leaves while the latter rest upon the apron 26, assist in conve fing said leaves along the table 24, co-operate with said apron 26 in angling the leaves as above explained, and serve to tightly hol d the leaves while portions of the leaf bodies along the butt ends of the stems are being removed. To remove these leaf portions, we provide a rotatable beater 54 mounted on a shaft 55 which is disposed at the rear side of the machine, in rearwardly spaced relation with the aforesaid belts 37-33. The butt ends of the leaves project rearwardly from these chains as shown in Fig. 9 and also in Fig 1, and these projecting butt ends are act. upon by the beater arms 56 of the heater 54, so that the body portions of the leaves alan the butt ends of the stems, are 'effectively removed by said beater arms, the removed leaf portions being discharged through an appropriate chute 57, at the lower end of `which tlley may be sacked or received in any desired receptacles.

To hold it against depression, the upper reach of the chain 37 travels in a channeled track 58 secured to the table 24, a to dcpressthe lower reach of the chain 3 ,e nto effective co-operable relation with said upper reach of said chain 37, we provide a chz'mneled shoe 59 engaging said reach of chain 33, this shoe being shown in Figs. 2. 4, 6. 7. Si and 9. This shoe is secured by bolts or the like 60 to the front ends of spring arms 61, spacing i said shoe and arms i desiredmanner,

` and pulleys 71, from blocks 62 being preferably interposed between y The rear ends `of the arms 61` are secured for vertical adjustment e as at 63, to apair of plates 6e whose upper y ends are bolted or otherwise secured to. a longitudinal bar whose ends are anchored tothe standards 84C. The spring ar1ns46l are disposed at opposite ends of the beater 54 and positioned over this beater, is a yieldable concave 66, one longitudinal edge of this concave being secured to the shoe 59 by bolts or` `thelilre 67, While its opposite edge isbolted at 68, for vertical adjustment,

to ablock 69a, said block being secured at 69b to the bar 65 i between thefplates 64. `The adjustments 68 permit lowering of the concave 66 as the beater arms 56 wear olf at their ends and "also allow raisingsof said concave when new beater arms are installed. The adjustments above described in` connection `with, the spring arms 6l, permit necessary adjustment tain the .desired tension on said arms. Preferably,lthese arms carry a pair of end walls 69 for the concave 66. y

The beater shaft 55 may be driven 1n any` a longitudinal shaft 72 mountedat the rear side of themaehina Shaft 72 may be driven by a belt 7 Sand pul-k leys ,74

from a longitudinal drive shaft '.75 disposed at the rear side of the machine? at theydischarge end of the latter, appropriate meanssuch as a belt 76 and tight and loose pulleys 77, being employed for driving said shaft 75.

` An endless chain belt78 is disposed in overlappingrelation with the apron 26Y and `the lowerfeed belt 87 andyis guided by an appropriate hollow Vtrack` 79 secured to the `table 2li, said beltf78` being trained around a sprocket wheel 80 loose upon the shaft 3i l `and aroundanother sprocket 8l which sel,

cured to the transverse shaft 5l. This belt 78 is positioned at the rear portion of the the form of knives 82.

ofsubstantially thel same size as the notches 83. Thebuttends of the stems, after they have been cleaned-by the beater 5e, arepo-` sitioned in the notches 83;-81land by the latter arecarried on toward the delivery Vend of the machine, during whichjmovement, the

, butt ends of theleafstems are engaged with stemspulling means, hereinafter described.

(As `thejleaves are released from `the chains;

37488, they enter the notches 885-84: and to holdtheni in these notches when'initially po- `sitioned therein,spring arms such as 85l may be employed.

Relatively werden@ upper and iowa?, Sfemi pulling "rollers 86487 `,are mountedffbehind to obfor instancmby aA belt ward the delivery` the belt 7 8 and parallel therewith, roller 87 being'secured to the shaft .75, while roller 86 is gearedat 88 to said shaft 75. The bearings for these two rollers are carried by appropriate standards 89 securedito the rearmost of the bars 20, the bearings for the upper roller 86 are mounted for vertical yielding, and'adjustable springs 90 are employed for `yieldablyV depressing said beari ings so as to hold the rollers 86 and 87 in cooperative relation with `each other. These rollers are beveled at one end as indicated at 91, to facilitate reception of the stem butts Y between them, said butts Vprojecting rearwardly from "the stripping means 82, as

son.'

shownin Fig. .1; .At this time, that is when the stem butts engage the rollers 864-87, the

leaves are obliquelygpositioned as Vshown in Fig. l, and such oblique positioning gives the rollers a much better chance to` rapidly grip the stein butts and pull the stems from the bodyportions of the leaves, While the latter areheld in cheek by the knives 82. To` facilitate guiding ofthe stem butts into the space between the tapered rollerr ends 91,

y suitable `guides suchasi92 (Fig.v 13) may be employed;

lToV hold v the `stems down in `the notchesl 83-84, While said stems are beingstripped from the leaves by the `rollers y86-87,` we provide a heavy plate 98 `connected With the frentedges of the `standards 89,\as at 93,

these connections being such` as to permit vertical `floating of Vsaid `plate 98 according `to thevarying `diameters of the leaf stems."` The stems are pulled vunder.thelovveredge of the platef93 and to protect said edge against Wear, we secure an auxiliary plate 9e toons-side oftheplate 93, by screw`sf95."v

This `auxiliary plate isfprovided'ywith two straight longitudinal edges 9 6, either one of which maybe downwardly positioned to en` y gage Vthe stemsQHenCe, Wha, @96,61% 9G hasbecome badly worn`,"the plate `may .be inverted and theother edge 1Vpositioned for use, VThengtoo, `Whenrboth edges are seriy the entire'pl'ate 94 maybe reously worn, placed with a new one.` rll`he greater part of wear Ton the auxiliary plate S34-.is towardits front end and when"` such end has ,become end for end to obtain additional wear.

Positioned between the stem-pulling means 86'-87 and the stripping means 82, is a stem cutting disk `97V of circular form,"the lower edge 'of this disk with the upper side of the track 79 so that said side is tangential to the peripheral edge ofthe disk; As thesleaves are being `fed to-` l ad of the `machine and badly worn, the rear end of the plate is still usable. Hence, this plate may also be turned `being in close yproximity as the stems are being pulled fromtheleaf bodies bythe rollers SVG-87, saidstemsmust pass between the peripheral edge of the dish` top of the "tra-ck 79 tangential 97 and the thereto with the result that said stems will be severed, leaving their delicate tips in the body portions of the leaves. Provision is made, whereby this disk 97 may be adjusted to different positions to sever the stems sooncr or later, as occasion may demand. In the preferred form of construction, the disk is rotatably mounted on a stub 98 secured to an arm 99, said arm being secured to and projecting downwardly from a longitudinal bar 100` which bar is connected at 101 with the upper ends of the standards 89, in such manner that this bar may be longitudinally moved to any desired position and then held in such position, thus disposing the cutting disk 97 at the most advantageous location. lWhen this disk is positioned toward the inlet end of the machine, the stems will be severed more quickly,that is further from the tips of the leaves than if said disk be set at a position toward the delivery end of the machine. T,Whenever the stock runs rather poor and short for a period ef time, the cutter disk may be adjusted toward the inlet end of the machine to sever the stems at the proper peints and when longer stock is encountered, the cutter may be rearwardly adjusted to the required extent.

The stems, pulled out by the rollers 86-87, discharge through an appropriate chute 102 and the leaf bodies are carried onto the delivery end of the table 24 by the stripping means 8:2. At this point, appropriate cam mea-ns 103 disengages the leaf bodies from the stripi ing means and said bodies then slide down an appropriate chute 104.

In operating` the machine, the leaves are placed transversely upon the table 24- and belt 26 as shown-in Fig. 1, with their butt ends engaging the wall 25; The apron 26 feeds the leaves until they are gripped between the chains 557-38, `and the feeding `peration then continues, with the butt ends of the leaves projecting from said chains. T he rotary beater 54; is in the path of these projecting butt ends, with the result that its beater arms 56 remove the portions-of the leaf bodies along the butt ends of the denis, said removed leaf portions being discharged through the chute 57. When the stem butts are released by the chains or belts Bri-38, they are directly over the knives 82 of the upper reach of the belt 78, to be carried by these knives under the plate 93. lVhen this plate is reached, due to the relative speeds of the belts 37-38 and the apron 26, the leaves have been obliquely positioned as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, with the result tha as said leaves are further fed along the table Q4 by the stripping means 82. their butt ends are directed toward the rollers 86-87- Hence, the tapered ends 91 of these rollers may more readily grasp the butt ends of the stems than would otherwise be possible. As soon as these rollers grip the stems, they pull the latter through the stripping means 82 and during this pulling operation, said stripping means continues to feed the leaves toward the delivery end of the machine. Thus, by the time the major portions of the stems have been pulled from the leaf bodies, the stems contact with the cutting disk 97 and are severed, leaving the delicate stem tips in the leaf bodies. The stems discharge through the chute provided for that purpose, the stripped leaves continue toward the discharge end of the machine, with the stripping means 83, the cam means 103 then frees said stripped leaves from said stripping means. and said leaves finally slide down the chute 104.

To secure the-beater arms 56 to the body or hub 105 of the beater 54, we mount the inner ends of these arms in openings 106 in bars 107 Figs. 6 and 9) preferably formed of wood, and secure these bars by bolts 108 to flanges 109 on said body or hub 105. The mer extremities of the arms 56 are turned laterally as shown at 110 (Figs. 1.0, 1l and 1Q), these laterally turned ends lie Within grooves g (Fig. 6) in the inner edges of the bars 107, and detachable metal strips 111 are secured to said inner edges of the bars 107, to hold the arms in place prior to securing the bars 107 to the flanges 109. Each arm is preferably of square cross-section as shown in Fi 12 and its lateral end 110 holds it against turning so that one of its sharp corners will be presented to the work.

As the outer ends of the arms 56 wear away, the bars 107 may be adjusted outwardly, for which purpose the bolts 108 pass through slots 112 in the flanges 109. Preferably, the arms 56 of any row are staggered with respect to those ofthe next adjacent row, insuring that anything missed by the arms of one row will be caught by those of the next.

It will of course be understood that suitable gua-rds and hoods mayv be provided wherever necessary to protect the operators from moving parts, but such guards or hoods have been omitted from the present disclosurerin order to fully illustra-te parts which would otherwise be more or less obscured.

le claim:

1. In a tobacco stemming machine, a traveling member having leaf stripping means to engage the butt ends of leaf stems, stem pulling means at one side of said member for pulling the stems through the stripping means as said stems are moved by said stripping means, a rotatable stem cutting disk between said stripping means and said pulling means and rotated by Contact with the stems as the latter are moved by said stripping means and are pulled by said pulling means, and a stationary surface tangential to the peripheral edge of said disk, the stems being forced between said edge and said surface by said stripping means.

2. Ina tobacco stemming machine, a travcling member having leaf stripping `means to engage the butt ends of leaf stems, stem pulling means at one side of said member for pulling the stems through the stripping means as said stems are moved` by said stripping gmeans, a rotatable stem cutting disk between said stripping means and said pulling means, the inner ends of the stems being forced Vagainst said disk by said stripping means, and means mounting said disk for adjustment along the line of travel of said traveling member. 'j

3. In a tobacco stemming machine, a traveling member having leaf stripping means to engage the butt ends of leaf stems, stem pulling means at one side of said member for pulling the stems through the stripping means as said stems are moved by said stripping means, a bar disposed longitudinally of and above the line of travel of said traveling member, means mounting said bar for adjustment longitudinally,

and a stem cutter mounted on said bar and disposed between said stripping means and said pulling means for contact with the inner ends of the stems as the latter are moved by said stripping means and are pulled by said pulling means.

L In a tobacco stemming machine, a traveling member having leaf stripping means to engage the butt ends of leaf stems, stem pulling means at one side of said member for pulling the stems through the stripping means as said stems are moved by said stripping means, a rotatable stem cutting disk between said stripping means and said pulling means for engagement with the inner ends of the stems while the latter are moved by said stripping means and are pulled by said pulling means, and means mounting said disk for adjustment longitudinally of the line oftrav- `el of said traveling member, said-mounting means embodying an arm carrying said disk,

a bar disposed longitudinally above said stripping means and carrying said arm, and means securing said bar.

5. In a machine of the class described, means for gripping leaves near their butt ends and conveying said leaves with said butt ends projecting laterally in one direction, said gripping and feeding means embodying a belt to lie upon the leaves and a shoe for holding said belt down, a rotary beater in thepath of said lateral ends having a shaftV parallel with said grippingand conveying means, a yieldable concave above said beater connected at one edge to the aforesaid shoe, stationary supporting means to which` the opposite edge of said concave is secured, and spring arms secured to said supporting means and carrying said shoe.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5; to-

their butt ends projecting beyond one edge of j said apron, said apron being trained around said roller, two sprockets secured on said shaft at thelend of said roller adjacent said one edge of the apron, upper and lower gripping belts at said one edge of said apron for gripping the leaves near their butt ends, means for stripping the leaf portions from the butt ends of the leaves while held by said gripping belts, the lowermost of said belts` being trained around and driven by one of said sprockets, another belt trained around the other of said sprockets and having stripping means to which the cleaned butt ends of the leaf stems are presented by said apron and said gripping belts, and stem-pulling means with which the ends of the leaf stems are engaged by said stripping means. j

8. In a tobacco stemming machine, a horizontal roller having a drive shaft,`a feed apron upon which to lay tobacco leaves with 'l their butt ends projecting beyond one edge of said apron, said apron being trained around of the belt, the innermost of said sprockets i being of larger diameter than said roller, a butt-engaging feed belt having ahorizontal reach parallel with and disposed at said one edge of said apron, said belt being trained around said large sprocket wheel and hence traveling at a greater speed than said apron to dispose the leaves obliquely of the apron with their butt ends leading, another belt trained around the outermost' of said sprocket wheels and having leaf-stripping means into which the stem butts are delivered by said apron and the first named belt, and upper and lower pull rollers having tapered ends between which the stem butts are directed by said stripping means.

In testimony whereof we haveV hereunto affixed our signatures.

' HENRY WEIGAN I). 

